In 2019, we set off on a journey that felt both personal and political: a tour through Western Europe with our children. Our road trip through North America had awakened something in us — a desire to understand, explore, and experience the world together as a family. But this time, the backdrop was different.
Across Europe, dark forces were rising. Brexit had shaken the foundations of the Union. The first Trump administration, Russian aggression, and regional authoritarian tendencies were reshaping the global landscape. Within the EU, populist and anti-European parties were gaining ground. In response, a group of dedicated citizens founded PulseOfEurope, reminding us that the EU is not a historical accident — it is a choice. A fragile, remarkable choice.
I joined several Pulse of Europe rallies with my children, folding ladder in hand so they could actually see what democracy looks like. That inspired us to go on a different kind of tour — through the Western EU. To show our kids not the idea of Europe, but its reality.
Germany 🇩🇪 → Benelux 🇳🇱🇧🇪 🇱🇺 → France 🇫🇷 → Spain 🇪🇸 → Italy 🇮🇹 → Austria 🇦🇹
No borders. One currency. Many languages. Peace.
We visited European and international institutions, met friends old and new, and, without planning it, followed a route that mirrored one of the darkest chapters of our continent.
Only later did we realize that we had unintentionally followed key lines of WWII history — including mountain passes in the Pyrenees once guarded by German troops to prevent refugees from escaping. A sobering reminder of how absurd, violent, and misguided the invasion of other countries truly is.
Explaining this to a seven-year-old was not easy. But children have clarity. After staying with Dutch friends whose families had suffered during the occupation, my daughter said:
“It’s amazing how kind they were to us, given what their ancestors lived through.“
That sentence stayed with me.
It captures the spirit of the EU: reconciliation, cooperation, generosity. The choice to build a common home, despite or because of everything.
As an international business lawyer, I am grateful for the EU’s legal architecture — even if I feel it risks overreaching in some areas, particularly where it intersects with public international law and arbitration. But this trip reminded me that beyond law and regulation, the EU is first and foremost a peace project.
A project that turned former enemies into partners — and that allows my children to cross borders as if they weren’t even there.
🙏 I am grateful for this journey, for what it taught all of us, and for the Europe that made it possible.
There wasn’t space for my American guitar in the trunk of our car. So I brought my “EUkulele”.
🔜 Next stop: Reflection #17 — 2020: Shutdown.
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